Welcome to the 2nd week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!
Here’s what’s in the share:
- Asian Greens – Yakina Savoy, similar to tatsoi is tasty steamed or stir-fried
- Leeks
- Radishes or Fava Beans
- Salad Mix – a mix of leaf lettuces
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Salad Turnips
- Cauliflower – This overwintered cauliflower is from Persephone Farm, an amazing organic farm who we’re lucky to call a neighbor! These heads are huge and some look a little strange, but they were planted late last summer and are a delicious treat for this early season.
A major benefit of joining a CSA is the weekly supply of seasonal vegetables filling the crisper in your refrigerator. No need to wander through the produce aisle at the grocery store looking for the organic shelf only to be faced with a myriad of choices trucked in from Mexico. Now that you’re a CSA member, you get the assurance of knowing local produce is coming your way each week, with the added bonus of a diverse selection of seasonal variety. You get to try things you many not have thought to purchase in the past!
At this point you may be thinking to yourself: “What’s with the sales pitch? I’m convinced, I already joined the CSA!” To which I respond, now that you’ve got these vegetables, what are you going to do with them?
We often hear from folks who can’t get through a week’s worth of CSA veggies before the bounty of the next week arrives. We learned these tips back when we were members of a local CSA that we hope will help you out this season:
- Store your veggies for freshness and visibility in your fridge.
- Eat at home. Cook from scratch.
- Find a few quick recipes that are easy to prepare and try to
keep key ingredients on hand such as pasta, rice, oil, butter,
and salad dressing. - Try new vegetables several times, prepared in multiple ways
and be open to new tastes. - Preserve extra veggies by freezing, canning, or drying them
for future use. - Going out of town and can’t get through your week’s worth of
veggies? Play “the vegetable fairy” and leave veggie surprises
for neighbors and co-workers.
As you’ve probably noticed, we also supply recipes focused on the less well-known veggies we include in the share at the bottom of the weekly newsletter. Also, the recipes from all past newsletters are archived on our website here: http://pitchforkandcrow.com/recipes/. Not sure what to do with leeks? Check out the recipes calling for leeks! And we love to hear favorite recipes from folks so don’t hesitate to share them with us.
Above all, enjoy the vegetables!
Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler
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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:
Glazed Hakurei Turnips
- 3 bunches baby hakurei turnips, baby turnips, or red radishes (about 2 pounds), trimmed, greens reserved
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Kosher salt
Place turnips in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips halfway. Add butter, sugar, and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. (if turnips are tender before liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon to transfer turnips to a plate and reduce liquid until syrupy. Return turnips to pan and stir to coat well.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before continuing.
Add turnip greens to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt.
Ricotta Gnocchi with Leeks and Fava Beans
- 1 15- to 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese or 15 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 small leek (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour, plus additional for dredging
- 1 cup shelled fresh fava beans or frozen double-peeled, thawed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 12 fresh sage leaves
Set large strainer lined with double-layer damp cheesecloth over large bowl. Place ricotta in prepared strainer; cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. (If using fresh ricotta, skip this step.)
Cook leek in small pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Using hands, squeeze leek dry.
Mix ricotta, leek, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in bowl. Stir in 2/3 cup flour. Cover and chill mixture at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place flour for dredging in flat bowl. For each gnocchi, shape 1 tablespoon ricotta mixtureinto ball, then drop into bowl of flour, tossing to coat. Transfer gnocchi to baking sheet. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.)
If using fresh fava beans, blanch in small saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes; transfer to bowl of ice water. Peel beans.
Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add fava beans and sage leaves. Sauté until butter browns, favas are tender, and sage leaves are crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Working in 2 batches, add gnocchi and cook until tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with fava beans; toss to coat. When all gnocchi have been added to skillet, toss over medium heat to warm. Serve with Parmesan.
From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ricotta-Gnocchi-with-Leeks-and-Fava-Beans-232095
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Cauliflower ChowChow
4 cups 1/2″ cauliflower florets (cut from 1 large head)
Kosher salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
5 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/4 teaspoons (generous) dry mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons (generous) celery seeds
Cook cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain cauliflower. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
Meanwhile, combine vinegar, onion, sugar, mustard seeds, dry mustard, and celery seeds in a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Add cauliflower to saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture and pickling juices to a 1-quart jar. Let cool slightly, cover, and chill. Serve within 1 month.
Roasted Curried Cauliflower
- 12 cups cauliflower florets (from about 4 pounds cauliflower)
- 1 large onion, peeled, quartered
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian hot paprika
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place cauliflower florets in large roasting pan. Pull apart onion quarters into separate layers; add to cauliflower. Stir coriander seeds and cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until slightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Crush coarsely in mortar with pestle. Place seeds in medium bowl. Whisk in oil, vinegar, curry powder, paprika, and salt. Pour dressing over vegetables; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in single layer. Sprinkle with pepper.
Roast vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 450°F oven 10 minutes, if desired.)
Mound vegetables in large bowl. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.
One response to “csa share – week 2 {may 28}”
Jeff:
I thought you might find this amusing. I’ve started giving all our extra eggs and vegetable to our three sons and letting them sell them in the neighborhood. As soon as word got out, there was way more demand than they will be able to fill. We’re having a lot of fun with it. Their flyer is attached.
Erik